Spring is here, snow is melting in the northern regions… and lawn care season is just around the corner! For homeowners in the Fairport/Rochester, NY, area, there’s a new choice for mowing and lawn care service that’s committed to Carbonfree® operations.

Carbon Cutters is a multifaceted lawn care service provider offering environmentally responsible and organic lawn care services. The company’s pledge to sustainability can be seen in all aspects of its business practices, including a recent decision to join Carbonfund.org’s Carbonfree® Business Partnership program.

“At Carbon Cutters, we take the environment into consideration with every aspect of our business, from the tools we use to the shirts we wear,” explains Steve Popp, Owner. “We use all electric equipment that will be charged by solar power. We use only environmentally friendly and organic techniques for lawn fertilization. We have partnered with Carbonfund.org to help us offset whatever carbon we generate from our daily business.”

Carbon Cutters was created after recognizing the negative impact of conventional lawn care industry on the environment and seeking to provide a carbon neutral alternative. As Steve puts it, “At Carbon Cutters, we cut the carbon and the chemicals, but never the quality!” Carbonfund.org applauds Carbon Cutters’ commitment to environmental sustainability and creating a clean alternative to traditional lawn care practices.

Environmentally-responsible companies in the cosmetics industry face a challenge to ensure that their products contain healthy, safe and sustainably sourced ingredients. Southern California-based EnvyDerm Cosmetics takes this responsibility seriously, and recently took the additional step to become a Carbonfree® Business Partner, neutralizing its estimated annual operational emissions by supporting forestry projects through Carbonfund.org.

EnvyDerm Cosmetics is a high performance cosmetics company that manufactures healthy good-for-you eye and lip products using natural and organic ingredients and eco-friendly packages. EnvyDerm continues to grow with a passion to offer a complete eyelash and lip enhancement product line that is safe, scientifically proven and fits a wide array of customers' needs.

"We strive to create cosmetics products that are healthy and good for you with less impact on the environment,” stresses Nadia Smith, Founder and CEO. “Partnering with Carbonfund.org is a natural step in our advocacy efforts and a step further in our effort to not just beautify our customers but further contribute to beautify Earth."

Part of EnvyDerm’s mission is to keep the planet beautiful and clean for the future. The company works hard to implement sustainable and eco-friendly measures to reduce its environment impact. That’s why they manufacture locally in California, source eco-friendly packaging that is made from 100% recycled material, and source organic ingredients for products as much as possible. These commitments along with their Carbonfree® operations set EnvyDerm above conventional cosmetics companies as a more environmentally responsible choice for its customers.

When looking for collision repair services, most drivers will seek shops with reputations for honesty and dependability. Bay area residents can add CarbonFree® and environmentally responsible to their criteria, thanks to the steps taken by Selecta Auto Body.

Earlier this year, Selecta Auto Body made the decision to become a CarbonFree® Business Partner, neutralizing annual operational emissions by supporting Carbonfund.org’s renewable energy and reforestation projects. This step followed careful decisions to reduce operational emissions and eliminate as much waste as possible in delivering auto body and detailing services.

"Our goal is to be the most reputable, dependable, honest, socially and environmentally conscious collision repair service in the United States and teaming up with Carbonfund.org is one way we can achieve it," states JR Hubbard, Owner of Selecta Auto Body.

Selecta is a Certified B Corporation and a member of San Francisco’s Clean and Green Program, meeting the high environmental standards that the community expects. The company places great emphasis on selecting the most environmentally-responsible products it can find, emphasizes proper handling, storage and removal of any toxic substances, and uses energy efficient equipment in its processes.

And Selecta Auto Body seized a unique opportunity to build their new shop from the ground up. As an earth-conscious body shop, Selecta set out to examine every aspect of its operations when relocating to their new facility. They maximized natural lighting, installed high energy efficiency lighting where needed, and installed a new spray painting booth that is one of the more high-end and high-efficient models on the market. The building’s electrical circuitry was updated to ensure safe and efficient operation, and the air circulation systems exceed building requirements to ensure employee and customer safety and comfort. In addition, the facility features many plants to boost the oxygen levels in the workplace and help offset the carbon dioxide and chemical air pollutants that a typical repair shop produces.

The cumulative impact of these environmentally-conscious decisions and processes enhance Selecta Auto Body’s “green” operations and position the shop as a clear eco-leader in automotive services in the San Francisco area.

What does consistent environmental leadership look like? Over the past six years, CarbonFree® Business Partner Community Capital Management has neutralized over 850,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions – equivalent to the emissions created by burning almost 43,500 gallons of gasoline.

Community Capital Management is a registered investment adviser whose mission is to deliver strong investment performance for its clients in strategies aligned with their organizational purpose. The firm primarily manages fixed income impact investing portfolios that finance a variety of community initiatives such as affordable homeownership and rental housing, environmental sustainability, job creation and training programs, affordable healthcare facilities, childcare programs, and neighborhood revitalization activities. As a leader in the impact investing space, Community Capital Management maintains its commitment to operating an environmentally-conscious business practice.

"Community Capital is excited to partner with Carbonfund.org in committing to offset our carbon footprint. We hope that we will help lead the way and encourage others in the investment management industry to do the same," said Jamie Horwitz, Director of Marketing at Community Capital.

The firm is proud to lead by example, offsetting its carbon emissions by supporting the development of renewable energy, forestry projects and increased energy efficiency through its partnership with Carbonfund.org.

In addition, Community Capital Management’s CarbonFree® commitment includes encouraging office recycling programs, minimizing the use of plastic water bottles by offering a water filtration system in their office, using energy-efficient lighting, conducting more marketing online rather than using printed media, living within close proximity to their office to reduce vehicle pollution, and continually seeking other ways to grow their business in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner. This consistent leadership in operational sustainability sets Community Capital Management in the forefront of its industry as an environmentally responsible fixed income investment management firm.

Industry leadership is often demonstrated by implementing internally the best practices promoted to customers. This notion of “getting and keeping one’s own house in order first” is exemplified by the sustainability strategies of CarbonFree® Partner Clarke, a global environmental products and services company with the mission is to make communities around the world more livable, safe and comfortable.

In 2008 Clarke established a set of aggressive sustainability goals, and put into motion initiatives to achieve them. Every employee is charged with making everyday decisions, big and small, through a sustainability lens. In 2009, Clarke completed its first sustainability report, and in 2010, began reporting greenhouse gas emissions according to GRI standards. For the past three years, Clarke has neutralized its electricity usage and onsite fuel consumption by supporting Carbonfund.org’s clean air technology and carbon emissions reduction projects around the world.

”We are committed to creating policies and procedures that reduce our carbon footprint,” states J. Lyell Clarke III, President & CEO of Clarke. “Our commitment is a journey and we cannot continue on our journey without the partnerships of our stakeholders, customers and employees, and Carbonfund.org, which has demonstrated its transparency and helps us to further mitigate our impact today.”